The One I'm Waiting For
by The All-Seeing Sharingan
Summary: Life is precious, something to be treasured, or so says the young Knight Atticus Kurosawa. The lives of his friends were cut short at a very young age, and since that day, vengeance has been his only goal. [Full summary inside]
1. Reflections

_Summary_: Life is precious, something to be treasured, or so says the young Knight Atticus Kurosawa. The lives of his friends were cut short at a very young age, and since that day, vengeance has been his only goal. Together with his Bongun friend, Dimitri, he has grown strong, but will this strength be enough to avenge the deaths of his comrades, or will he, too, be robbed of his life before he truly has a chance to live it? And when an old and dear friend returns to him, and his feelings for that friend resurface stronger than ever from the deepest recesses of his mind, what decision is the right one for Atticus to make? A broken heart or a broken promise; such is the choice that young Atticus must make.

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**The One I'm Waiting For**

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**Chapter One:**

**Reflections**

_Fear of the past brings fear of the future._

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I remember the days of my childhood so clearly, as if it was only just yesterday that I had been a young child of seven who had just begun training to become a Swordsman. I was on top of the world on my eleventh birthday when I left behind my Novice days and began anew as a Swordsman. I wouldn't have to live in fear of the Stalkers that had killed my father when I was just a baby, protecting his wife and his newborn child. No longer did I have to daydream of the adventures I would have with my friends when we graduated and left Izlude to make our own way in the world and find our fortune. After all, fortune favoured the brave, and we were as brave as they came.

One day, I had it all. And the next, I had nothing.

The blood on my hands, that of my comrades that I had tried so hard to save, proved to me that I had been as wrong as anyone could possibly be, that fateful day in the Payon Caves. My "fight or flight" reflex had kicked in when those same Izludian Stalkers attacked us, and like a fool, I chose to fight. My party refused to leave me and run, and one by one, I watched my closest friends die. Despite my best attempts to rescue them, every last one was killed. I knew that I couldn't possibly kill the Stalkers to avenge my fallen kin, so far too late, I decided to run. The Stalkers ignored me and looted my companions' corpses as I fled, tears streaming down my face and the knowledge that I would never see my friends again serving only to intensify the flow of those tears. All at once, my dreams had been shattered, my closest friends ripped away from me, robbed of their lives at such a young age. Andromeda, who had become an Acolyte; Julian, who had chosen the job class of Mage; Alannah, who had decided to become an Archer; Alaster, the one that had chosen to become a Thief; Gwenhyvar, who had made the decision to be a Merchant. All of them had stayed behind to fight with me, and all of them had died.

_I'll never see them again, and it's all my fault. I wish I had died instead,_ I thought as I rushed through the gates of the Payon Village. Then, my entire world went black and I thought nothing more.

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The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was the bright light of the sun shining in through a window. Someone must have taken me into their house after finding me passed out in the dirt road. I no longer felt any pain, and I wasn't bleeding anymore. From this, I deduced that whomever had brought me inside had used a red potion to heal my wounds. My eyes slowly opened as I gingerly pushed myself up off the bed, searching the room for my Stardust Blade. After locating it at the foot of the bed, I reattached it to the swordbelt at my hip and left the room, picking up my traveler's bag as I passed through the doorway. There was no-one home, so there was no-one to thank for saving my life, although I wasn't sure I would thank them for it anyway. It was more likely that I would be upset with them for not allowing me to die. As I left the house, I felt new determination, and I knew my purpose now.

I would live and become stronger so that I would one day avenge the deaths of my father and my friends. Only when I had killed those Stalkers would I allow myself to lay down and die. Until then, my main focus was to survive and push myself to become the best that I could be. I could die peacefully only when they were dead.

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I took the quick and easy way to the city of Prontera, by way of teleportation via a Kafra agent. There, I replaced my torn Swordsman's clothes with steel armour and had my blood-matted blonde hair cut short. Long hair would only get in the way, and what manner of Swordsman would wear his hair that long, anyway, I reasoned. With shining new armour and renewed courage, I would train until I could take no more each and every day until I was strong enough to confront those Stalkers for a final battle, where this time, I would emerge victorious. Do or die, I would fight them, and I would win.

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"Master Atticus! Master Atticus, wake up!"

I groaned softly. Being shaken awake by my Bongun friend was getting tiresome, it was the sixth time that night that he had been startled by something and needed reassurance. "Master Atticus, wake up, please!"

An exasperated sigh escaped me as I sat up and rubbed at my tired blue eyes. I wasn't going to be allowed to go back to sleep until I had calmed him down, I knew that all too well. "What is it now, Dimitri?" I tried to keep the edge from my voice, but he flinched and shied away a little all the same. "Uh...w-well, Master Atticus, you seemed to be having a nightmare. You were tossing in your sleep, and you kept apologizing to someone. Are you alright, Master?"

"Thank you for your concern, Dimitri, but I'm just fine," I lied. It wasn't uncommon for me to dream of that day in the Payon Caves all those years ago, back before I became a Knight. I had learned not to tell Dimitri of these nightmares, it only served to frighten him more, and a terrified Bongun was not fun or easy to deal with. He raised the paper amulet that was attached to his hat out of his terrified brown eyes and critically scanned me for any signs of being told an untruth, although it was not as though he believed he could accuse me of lying to him. He always said that he would never disrespect me that way, even though I had never given him any reason to fear me. I supposed it was just because he was a Bongun, I had noticed that all of them seemed to be afraid of absolutely everyone and everything.

I patted him comfortingly on the shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. "Nothing to worry about, Dimitri my friend, I'm alright." He seemed consoled by my gesture and nodded shyly before sitting back against the tree he had been resting under. He never seemed to sleep, which didn't make much sense to me, but I didn't ask him about it. I was likely not the only one who was haunted by dreams of his past. "Try to let me sleep at least until sunrise this time, please, Dimitri. I'm very tired, and we have much training to do." He nodded meekly and softly said, "Yes, Master Atticus," then fell silent. I highly doubted that he would actually keep quiet, but I didn't say it. Dimitri was incredibly sensitive, the slightest hint of sharpness in my tone was enough to make him tremble with fear and refuse to look at me for the rest of the day.

I lay back down and closed my eyes, letting out a soundless sigh. It was going to be a very long night.


	2. Reunited

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**Chapter Two:**

**Reunited**

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_We all have our secrets, some just more than others._

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"Master Atticus, you're pushing yourself too hard!"

"Master Atticus, you're going to get hurt!"

"Master Atticus, you're already injured, just quit for the day!"

All day, it had been the same thing. Dimitri always worried about me, I had accepted that by now, but today, he was even more bothersome than usual. True, I had been pushing myself harder than I normally did, and yes, I had injured myself, but he was still driving me mad. What would he do when I died, I wondered. At least I wouldn't have to listen to him whine over me, then. I sighed, shaking my head and silently berating myself for thinking something so cruel. Dimitri may have been irritating, but he had a certain boyish charm to him, and I loved him like a brother. I could never stay angry with him for very long, especially when he looked so upset over an argument. (They were always mainly one-sided, mind you, I use that term rather loosely. More often than not, it was just me yelling and him standing there, silently taking the abuse without so much as a single word of protest.) Thinking about this, the anger directed towards my Bongun friend had quickly faded, but all the same, if I heard just _one_ more cry of "Master Atticus," I would-

"Master Atticus, look out!"

I had no time to react. All at once, before I could register what was happening, he had tackled me from behind and shoved me to the ground. I sat up and rubbed my now-throbbing head, about to yell at him for what he had done, but when I looked up to do so, my eyes landed instead on the charred spot on the ground behind us where I had been standing only a moment before. Had he not shoved me out of the way, I would have been killed.

Scrambling to my feet and pulling Dimitri up with me as quickly as I could, I unsheathed my Fireblend and whirled around just in time to block a direct strike from a Wing Staff that had been aimed for my back. It was dark in the forest by this time, so I couldn't see my attacker, but I knew that he was strong. Despite trying to dig my armoured boots into the earth underneath them, he was shoving me back with little to no diffculty, and I knew I couldn't keep this up much longer. Bracing my left hand against the flat of my Fireblend's blade, I stopped resisting the push of the staff for a split second before planting my feet down firmly and putting all my strength into thrusting the sideways blade upwards in hopes of driving my unseen opponent back. It worked, but only for a moment. Before I could brace myself for another attack or even turn and run away, I had been shoved to the ground and the head of the staff was pointed directly at my face, its owner standing directly over me and looking boredly down into my eyes, the shadows making him look all the more menacing.

"It would seem that I am the victor of our little duel, knave," he said coolly, completely unconcerned, but then, why should he have been? I was completely at his mercy, and I had no doubt that he would kill me if I made a single wrong move.

"Indeed, and you fought it well. Now, if there is something you desire from me, then ask for it and we can both be on our way," I said, choosing my words carefully so as not to agitate him.

"Yes...there _is_ something I want, now that you mention it." He stepped back and pulled his staff away, positioning himself directly in the moonlight that shone down between the tree branches. As soon as he did, I could see him clearly, and for a moment I was sure that my heart had stopped. He ran a hand through his short, unkempt dirty-blonde hair and hesitated for a moment, almost as though his request was something that was very difficult to ask for. As his cobalt eyes examined me carefully, I saw a look of recognition flash through them. He took a step towards me, further increasing my anxiety. My eyes darted around for any sign of Dimitri or my PecoPeco, but the cowardly Bongun must have taken my mount and fled. He did that sometimes, and always came back after a while, but that didn't help me _now_.

The Wizard knelt down in front of me and I instinctively tried to back away, only to find that I was backed right up against a tree. "Tell me something, Sir Knight...Would you happen to be the 'upstart Izludian Knight' that all of Migard seems to be talking about, the one they call Atticus Kurosawa?"

I tried to answer him, but my voice refused to comply with my mind's orders. I couldn't believe what I was seeing before me, it just wasn't possible.

"Well?" He looked amused by my obvious panicked state, his lips turning upwards in a slight smirk. "Nevermind, you don't need to answer me. I already know exactly who you are."

I found my voice again, and the words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. "You're supposed to be dead!" Ashamed of what I had just said, I looked away and muttered my apologies. He only laughed, not in a mocking way, but sounding genuinely amused. "Now, now, _Atticus_, you don't need to apologize to me, I'm not upset." Turning to look at him again, I asked the question that he must have known I was dying to ask. "How are you still alive?"

"Ah, there _is_ such a thing as 'playing dead,' Atti. And you know all too well that I was always a good actor, ne?" He laughed again and stood, then held out his hand to help me up. Flushing with embarrassment at the memory of the event he was speaking of, I took his hand and allowed him to pull me off the ground. "You know what I'm getting at, I see," he said with a grin, which only grew wider upon seeing my obvious annoyance. "Yes, I do. And I never forgave you for it, Julian." I pulled my Fireblend from the place in the earth where it had landed blade-down and sheathed it, trying not to show how shocked I was at seeing him alive, although I was positive he could see exactly how shaken I was by it.

He studied me for a moment before reaching some sort of conclusion and said, "Why such a dramatic change, Atti?" I froze, not knowing how to answer. I had been afraid he would ask that question, and I had desperately hoped that he wouldn't, because I had no answer to give him. Not one that would be safe to speak aloud, anyway. He must have understood this from the expression I was wearing, so he didn't press the matter, only laid a hand on my shoulder and said, "I understand."

A few moments of silence passed, neither of us daring to say a word. It was unbearable, but I had nothing I could say. I was still stunned by this recent development, although I couldn't say that seeing Julian again upset me. I had missed them all, but out of all my friends, I had always been closest to-

_Don't start thinking like that! You're **alone** now, you can't get Julian involved, because if you do, he'll **really** be killed this time!_ I must have looked horrified by this prospect, because as soon as I had thought it, Julian's worried voice snapped me out of my reverie, asking, "Atticus, what's wrong?" I shook my head to clear it, then firmly told him, "I'm sorry, Julian, but we have to part ways again."

He looked at me as though I had struck him, although to me, it felt like _I_ was the one who had been hit. "But _why_? Atticus, I've been looking for you for seven years, you can't expect me to just leave you now that I've found you again!" I couldn't stand to see him looking at me like that, so I turned around and started to walk away. "It has to be this way, Julian. Trust me, we're _both_ better off without each other." It was a lie, of course. He was better off without me, that much was true, but I was nothing without my old friend. I didn't want to do this, but I couldn't get him involved again. I couldn't allow him to be killed for my foolish mistake, as all the others had been. If this was the only way to keep that from happening, then so be it. I refused to be responsible for his death.

I felt his hand close around my wrist, and before I could demand that he release me, he had pulled me back and pushed me up against a tree for the second time that night. "You always were a terrible liar, Atti," he told me. "That much, at least, hasn't changed. Like it or not, Atticus, I'm not going _anywhere,_ so get used to the idea of having a traveling companion, because I'm staying with you, got it?" I tried to glare at him, but instead found myself shrinking back from _his_ glare. My voice weak, I whispered, "Julian, if you stay with me, you'll be-" He put a hand over my mouth before I could finish and firmly said, "I don't want to hear it, Atticus. You're not the only one who has improved his skills over the past seven years. I won't be killed, and neither will you, we'll watch each other's backs just like old times. And don't argue, you don't have a say in the matter! I'm staying, and that's final."

I just stared at him for a moment, surprised by his outburst and trying to figure out exactly when he decided he could talk to me like that and not expect to get hit for it. After a moment, though, the shock wore off. Of course he knew he could talk to me like that and not get hit for it, I was completely immobilized right now, and he was well aware that I didn't dare hit him when he let me go. He removed his hand and waited expectantly for my answer. After a moment of silence, I just nodded and quietly said, "Fine." That answer was good enough for him, it seemed. He grinned, loosening his vice-like grip on my wrist, but not letting go.

"Good enough," he whispered, then leaned down and kissed me before I could stop him. I should have shoved him away, this was completely wrong. I had shoved all thoughts and feelings for Julian to the back of my mind for a reason, it was dangerous to let myself fall for him again. I could only imagine what would happen if Dimitri showed up and-

"Master Atticus, where are you?"

Trust that damn Bongun to show up at the worst time possible.

As soon as I heard Dimitri calling me, I regained my senses and pushed Julian away, ducking under his arm and moving to the center of the clearing. "I'm okay, Dimitri, no thanks to you," I told him as he entered the clearing, sitting on my PecoPeco's back just in front of the saddle and looking guilty. "I'm sorry, Master Atticus..." I sighed. He looked so guilty about running off, I just couldn't stay angry with him. "Just don't be such a coward next time, alright? Julian's not dangerous, he's an old friend, and he's going to be traveling with us from now on, got it?" Dimitri looked over at Julian, studying him critically for a moment. It didn't surprise me that my Bongun friend didn't trust Julian. He was always wary of people he had never met before, and then there was the fact that Julian had attacked me with no provocation. Dimitri had always been rather protective of me, even though he was a complete and total coward. If he knew that I was in any real danger, he always stepped in to fight beside me, and it was times like that when I wondered if he really _was_ afraid of everyone and everything, or whether that was all an act.

Apparently having decided that Julian was no threat, Dimitri nodded to let me know that he was alright with our new traveling companion. Satisfied, I swung myself up into my PecoPeco's saddle behind him, allowing Julian to climb up behind me. As he did so, I heard him whisper to me, "I don't know why you decided on such a drastic change, Atti, but you know that your secret is safe with me."

I nodded, glad that he would keep my secret just between us, at least for a little longer. I felt safe again, now that Julian was back with me, and maybe, just maybe, I wouldn't have to keep this charade up for much longer, now that I had him back.


	3. Revealed

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**Chapter Three**

**Revealed**

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_If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something._

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"Come on, Atti, what could possibly go wrong?" Julian asked me for the seventh time that morning, still trying to persuade me to go home to Izlude for a visit, even though I had made it quite clear that I wasn't interested. We had been traveling together for only two weeks, and he had started pestering me about going home, at least for a little while, three days ago. I refused every time he asked, and every time I refused, he looked huffy for a few minutes and then asked me again. He was quite possibly just trying to wear me down, hoping I would cave in eventually and agree to go, if only to shut him up. He probably figured that if annoyed me enough, that was exactly what would happen. Or, if that didn't work, he could use a guilt trip.

Unfortunately for me, he was right.

"We won't stay for too long, but I need to at least let my mother know that I'm still alright, Atti. I haven't visited her in a while, she's bound to be worried sick about me." I flinched at hearing him say this. Trust Julian to hit me where it hurt. _He_ could go home if he wanted to, visit with his mother to catch up and let her know that her child was still living, but my own mother would never know that _hers_ was doing fine. If I went to see her, I would be putting her in danger, _and_ myself. There would be all kinds of questions I would need to answer, and the first one would be, "What brought about this dramatic change?" There was no way I could answer that, so it would be better to stay away from her, for now. She could go on thinking that I was dead, or, at the very least, that I had forgotten her. Until those Stalkers were dead, I wasn't going to go home. I couldn't put my mother's life at risk that way.

"Fine, Julian, we'll go. But I'm not going to see my mother, and you _can't_ say anything about me to _anyone_. Nobody can know, got it?" I had told him, in such a way that stated there was no room for discussion. "Deal," he replied with a grin, far too pleased that he had won. He had already won even before he had started to ask me today. We had been traveling through Prontera fields the night before, and made camp when it got dark. I hadn't even realized that he had been directing me towards Izlude until now. But, it would do no good to berate him for it _now_, I had already given in and admitted that he had gotten the better of me.

_Nothing's changed between us, after all. He could always figure out exactly what to say to me to get his way when we were kids, too_, I thought as I steered my PecoPeco down the dirt road and sighed, exasperated by the fact that, even after all these years, Julian still knew me far too well. _Ah, well, it's not a total loss_, I told myself _At least I can replace this old armour while I'm there._ My Full Plate armour was old, and I knew it wasn't going to hold up much longer. The Whitesmith in Izlude made great armour, better than anywhere else I'd ever been, so I supposed that going to Izlude wasn't such a bad idea, after all. Not that I would tell Julian that, he would just become smug and give me that "I-told-you-so-but-you-wouldn't-listen" look of his that made me want to deck him.

All of a sudden, I heard Dimitri's panicked voice from in front of me, on my PecoPeco's neck. "Master Atticus! _Stalkers_!" I looked immediately to the place he was pointing, and what met my eyes was the very same group of Stalkers that I had sworn to kill. The leader looked over at us upon hearing my Bongun companion's terrified shriek, emerald eyes glittering with malice. "Well, now...Look what's come our way, boys," he said to his four associates, all of them watching me closely. As I leapt down from my PecoPeco's back and drew my Fireblend, they began to laugh. "You think you're going to bring us down all on your own, little man?" The leader taunted, grinning at me. "Five of us, and only one of you. We're all older than you are, and quite a bit taller, not to mention much better built. The odds aren't in your favour, boy, but if you want to fight us, then so be it." He looked slightly surprised when I didn't react to his attempt at intimidation, and even more so when Julian and Dimitri climbed down off of my PecoPeco and each one took their place at my sides. "Three on five, it's not quite even, but our odds are better now," Julian said with a smirk. Dimitri nodded in agreement and unsheathed the Gravekeeper's Sword on his back, readying himself to fight.

The Stalker leader's surprise was quickly replaced with a malicious grin. "Three times the loot when we kill you, then," he told us, the other four getting behind him in a V-shaped formation. Then, without warning, they lunged at us and the fight began. All my training over the past seven years had come down to this, it was all for this moment. I had to use everything I had learned and bring them down here and now, because I knew that this was my only chance. Either they would die here today, or I would, and I would be damned if it was going to be me.

Dimitri and Julian had little trouble with the first two that went after them, taking advantage of the foolish mistake that the Stalkers had made in getting too close to them. After seeing their two comrades fall so quickly, the others knew, from that point, to keep their distance, at least from Julian and Dimitri. The Stalkers' leader had decided to take me out first and leave the other two to hold off my friends while he took care of me, and so far, he was doing a good job of forcing me back. It was all I could do just to block the strikes from his twin daggers, I wouldn't be able to keep up for too much longer. It seemed like he just kept getting faster, and he was already moving at a blinding speed. Because of this, it was no surprise that I had no time to block the direct strike to my chest with the hilt of the sword that he had traded his daggers for a split second before hitting me. Caught off-guard, I flew backwards and hit the ground hard, and as I tried to push myself up out of the dirt, I realized that he hadn't just _damaged_ my armour, he had _shattered_ it. The steel lay in pieces around me, all that was left protecting me now being the tunic I had been wearing underneath my Full Plate armour. If I stood up to fight now, not only would I be killed, I would-

"You fight like a girl, kid," His taunting voice informed me from his place only a few feet in front of me. I could hear the others laugh at this while still fending off Julian and Dimitri's attacks, and that was all it took to make my blood start to boil. I had heard enough. Grabbing my Fireblend, I pushed myself up off the ground, then untied the dark teal ribbon I had bound my semi-long hair up with and tossed it to the ground. Then, looking up at him and not bothering to disguise my voice any longer, I snapped, "I _am_ a girl, idiot!"

The Stalkers all stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at me. Julian also stilled and looked over at me, and Dimitri just stood there, in complete shock. "I'm not Atticus Kurosawa. 'Atticus' never existed at all. I took that name and changed my identity as a way to protect myself, to keep myself hidden, until the day came that I was strong enough to avenge the deaths of my friends, the ones that _you_ killed, seven years ago in the Payon Caves. I am _Artemis _Kurosawa, and that day is today."

The leader just stood there for a moment, and then burst out laughing. "Yes, I thought I remembered you! My, but you were a petulant little brat back then. But just look at you now, you're quite a woman, aren't you? You shouldn't hide your body under such heavy armour like that, your looks could be your greatest strength." He put his weapon away and took a step towards me, likely expecting me to step back or shrink away. I didn't do either of those things, instead falling back into my stance and bracing my Fireblend in front of me. "You're such a pretty girl, it would be a shame to waste your looks by covering yourself up that way. You should join my little gang, we'll be good to you," he said, taking another step and stopping just beyond my blade's reach. "If you don't, I'll have to kill you, and I really don't want to do that."

"No deal," I growled, about to lunge, but before I could do so, he leapt out of the way to avoid a pillar of fire that had sprung up in the place he had been standing only a moment before. Julian and Dimitri had obviously taken care of the other two Stalkers, leaving the leader on his own and open to attack. "Leave this one to me, Julian!" I doubted he would do it, but I needed to take care of this on my own. He had already done more than enough, this one had to be left for me. To my surprise, Julian did as I had asked. He only stood back and watched as I forced the Stalker further and further back with every strike he blocked. He seemed unable to keep his feet planted firmly enough on the ground to keep me from shoving him backward. I gave him no openings to attack, and finally, I forced him up against a rock with my blade to his throat. If he moved, the sword would slit his throat, and he knew it, so he remained completely still, careful not to cut himself as he spoke. "Well played, Kurosawa, well played...but do you think you can actually force yourself to kill me? You don't want to be like me in any way, and wouldn't killing me this way make you just like me? I'm defenseless, I can't even move. That's hardly fair, is it?"

I glared hatefully at him, keeping the hand clutching my sword's hilt steady. "That's rather hypocritical, isn't it? You killed my friends with all of the most underhanded tricks that you could possibly come up with. They were just _kids_, they had no chance. I am _nothing_ like you. _I_ gave you a chance to fight back, knowing that you were capable of it. You had plenty of chances to run away, I made sure of that. And unlike you, _I_ hate myself for letting them die that way. _You_ don't care. You enjoyed killing them that way, knowing that there was nothing any of us could do about it. I'm nothing like you, I'll _never_ be anything like you...don't _ever_ compare yourself to me!" I couldn't take listening to him anymore, so before he could respond, I moved my blade downwards and stabbed it into his chest, quickly averting my gaze. I could feel the tears threatening to spill over as I pulled my sword out of his chest and saw him slump to the ground, motionless, out of the corners of my eyes. As soon as I was sure he wouldn't get up again, I let my Fireblend fall from my hand and dropped to my knees, finally allowing myself to cry now that I knew it was over.

_Andromeda...Alannah...Alaster...Gwen...I'm sorry for letting you die like that...I'm sorry I didn't just run, like you told me to. I'm sorry that I couldn't save you...and I'm sorry I was such a terrible friend. To let you stay and fight with me...it was selfish of me. And I'm sorry that you had to lose it all...just because of **my** stupidity_. It was a silent prayer, a wish, for my friends to somehow let me know that they didn't blame me, that I had been forgiven. Nothing came. I knew it wouldn't, they couldn't hear me. They were dead, after all, and I couldn't speak to the dead.

"Artemis...we should get going." I heard Julian's voice from just above me. He sounded concerned, and almost as though he was holding back tears, himself. Looking up at him, I took the hand he had offered to me and allowed him to pull me up. Dimitri held out my Fireblend to me, having sheathed it for me already, and I smiled despite myself as I took it from him. "Thanks, Dimitri...for everything." He smiled back and pulled himself up onto my PecoPeco's neck again. "No problem, Master Artemis," he replied as I swung myself up into the saddle and let Julian climb up behind me. "So, then...now that you know, Dimitri, and now that everything's over...what will you do? Are you going to leave?" Dimitri laughed, something I had never heard him do before, and said, "Of course not! When I said I'd travel with you forever, Master Artemis, I _meant_ forever. Besides, everything's not _over_, as far as I'm concerned, it's just getting started."

"Fair enough," I said, then looked over my shoulder at Julian as I spurred my mount forward. "What about you, Julian?" He just grinned and answered, "You won't get rid of me _that_ easily Artemis, you should know that by now." I pretended to look disappointed and said, "Damn, I was hoping you'd leave me alone now that I don't have any more Stalkers to kill. Guess I'll have to think of something else."

"Good luck with that. 'Cause you're never getting rid of me, doesn't matter what you try," he retorted, then kissed me before I could come up with a counter. Dimitri had the courtesy to ignore us and take over steering the PecoPeco until Julian decided to release me and let me return to guiding the giant bird through the city gates. "I suppose I can live with that," I told him, "If I don't have any other choice."

It was just like old times. Julian and I always had these mock-arguments when we were children, still living here in Izlude. And after being away for so long, I knew one thing for sure.

It was good to be home, at least for now.


End file.
